Stewardship
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
Sacred stewardship is defined as 'Using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do.' It includes the careful and responsible management of the resources entrusted to our care, whether those gifts are our own talents and treasures, or the talents and treasures offered in the spirit of generosity by others.
Thank you for the prodigious generosity you bring to the mission of Christ’s Church. The generosity of the talented musicians, the inspiring and compassionate clergy, and the selflessness of the lay ministry who serve the disadvantaged, sit with those who simply need company, and pray for those in distress. Your generosity enables all of us to live more fully into our mission:
To experience Christ's love by embracing the Wonder
in all through prayer, study, service and play.
To support and amplify all we give of time and talent, we also need funding. It costs us nearly $500,000 per year to operate Christ's Church based on our current programs, facilities and staffing. Many of us participated in the strategic planning two years ago. This plan organizes the call we are answering to expand the work we are doing in ministry, music, worship, education and playful thanksgiving.
Each fall, we have our annual pledge campaign. We base our activities on the funds you pledge to provide throughout the upcoming year. The funds you pledge are the resources for our budget for the next year. We have to have a balanced budget each year, so if the funds are not there, we have to cut programs or staff.
This year, the third year of implementing the strategic plan, we intend to focus on education and outreach.
1. Education: our education programs continue to grow, nurturing our relationships with God and each other. Providing resources like teacher training, curricula, and other necessary tools are a priority for us this year. Your pledges enable us to make those kinds of purchases.
2. Outreach: in these times of economic uncertainty, we need do make sure the vulnerable among us are cared for. In that spirit, we offer a variety of ways to serve our community: Congregation Cares, St Clare's Table, the soup kitchen, and the Amiguitos program. Volunteering for and supporting these programs can be life-changing service.
We are also making it easier for you to support our church. We have implemented online giving via PayPal on our website. If you want to donate using your credit card or your PayPal account, simply click on the "Donate" button at the bottom left of this page and you can donate directly using your Paypal account or credit card. We have a diverse set of fundraising activities that support specific causes, from our Party of Parties series to the annual ECW Fall Festival to the annual music series - fun, easy ways to support this place to be fully alive and have a great time with your friends.
This year, we added 70 people to the church, and we now have just over 300 households. Our goal is for 125 of us to pledge - make a commitment to support this church throughout the next year as we continue to grow. To pledge, click here to download a pledge card. If we meet our $500,000 operational budget, we will be able to continue the level of activities and services we have provided this past year. We have other plans to support our growth, and you will hear more about those after the end of the year.
Thank you for supporting this church. For more information, perhaps you want to revisit our mission and core values. Then, learn about pledging, including frequently asked questions. Bookmark this section to learn more about our plans for stewardship in general and the results of our fundraising activities. Questions? Email us at info@christsepiscopalchurch.org.
